Bent in Belize--Blue Hole Incident

[boulderjohn]

Apparently if they can get you into the chamber you'll survive.

Unfortunately, that isn't true. More than a few people have died after making it to the chamber, including a very well known figure just about a year ago.

 

[JTemple]

I understand completely how scared and alone you feel right now. When I got bent in 2008, I was travelling alone in Indonesia. I was hurting, I was scared about what was happening to me, I felt lonely with almost no one around who spoke my language (natively), and the hospital in Manado was something out of a nightmare. It was a terrifying experience.

Once my PFO was closed and I was given the all clear to dive again, I was scared and facing quite a bit of anxiety about it all. So I scheduled my first dive back in the water with my dive instructor. Which was a good plan regardless, as by that point in time, I had been out of the water for 2 years. The dive started off a little shaky, but about 10 minutes into it, I just stopped right where I was, forced myself to relax, spread out my arms and legs like I was in a free-fall, and took a few deep breaths. And just like that, it all clicked. And I nearly started crying, I felt so good. Talking with my instructor later, she said she knew exactly when in the dive that happened.

Don't feel like you need to make these decisions about your future diving now. You have one job right now, once concern, and that is to heal up from this accident. Your body suffered some trauma, physically and mentally, so give yourself time to heal. There is no rushing that process, nor should there be any rush to decide or even think about what diving you may or may not do in the future. Just heal.

 

[CCRDolphinDiver]

OP, I was not referring to you when I mentioned passing the blame, you seem to have accepted fault and hopefully learned from your mistakes. I would like to correct you on one error though, diving is NOT safe, it is inherently dangerous. You are immersing yourself in a medium that cannot support human life and travelling deeper into it with several timers ticking down and finite winding running out. Inert gas dissolving in your system, a finite air supply and the oxygen clock ramping up (if you are diving enriched air). Along with that there is the major distraction of a fantastic world to explore, nitrogen narcosis eating away at your judgment and the desire to escape the everyday world enticing you to dive deeper and farther away from our surface problems. It is amazing that there are *only* a hundred or so fatalities each year. Diving for me (when its recreational as opposed to work) is the most relaxing thing I do and cave diving even more so, add in the silence of no bubble CCR cave diving and its absolute Nirvana. Follow the rules, most of the rules were written right after someone died, and you can have a lifetime of diving Nirvana. Screw up once, and its lights out or crippled for life. A belief that diving is safe, is the first mistake that could lead into the fatal funnel.
I quote a line from "Sanctum". "We are cave diving on rebreathers underground...what could go wrong?"
Good luck on your recovery!

 

[Grover48]

I have a saying I tell my firemen: "The cure for ignorance is education. There is no cure for stupidity."

 

[Thiad]

Hang in there, themagni... Thank you for being honest and telling us what happened. Your honesty truly shows what a brave person you are. You have a lot of people pulling for you that do care and want to see you make a full and speedy recovery.

 

[raftingtigger]

U.S. Gov. Travel Advisory to Belize:
Rental diving equipment may not always be properly maintained or inspected, and some local dive masters fail to consider the skill levels of individual tourists when organizing dives to some of Belize’s more challenging sites.

Deaths and serious injuries have occurred as a result of the negligence of dive tour operators, the lack of strict enforcement of tour regulations, water taxis diverging from routes when tourists are in the water, and tourists’ neglect of their physical limitations.

The Embassy strongly recommends that anyone interested in scuba diving or snorkeling while in Belize check the references, licenses, and equipment of tour operators before agreeing to or paying for a tour.

The Embassy further recommends that U.S. citizens be forthcoming in reporting pre-existing medical conditions to their dive tour operators, and comply when a dive tour operator prohibits participation in such activities due to a U.S. citizen’s health condition.

Safety precautions and emergency response capabilities may not be up to U.S. standards.

This is a real US advisory. Looked it up on Belize

 

[TechDeep]

Good advice, thanks. I know I would be asking lots of questions before plunking down my credit card.

 

[flareside]

I still don't fully follow the situation here. Thousands of divers do the same profiles in the blue hole every year without problems, many of them coming off of liveaboards where they will have even greater buildup because of the constant daily diving. So why the problems for the OP, why him ??? What did he do different than all the other divers? Was it the alcohol? Was it dehydration? Was it the obvious lack of proper nutrition? Was it a pre-existing medical condition?

Sorry but I'm just not buying that his problem stemmed from a broken computer or lack of reading charts when he is following the same basic profiles and conditions thousands of others are having no problem with. There has to be more to this. And I would suggest he not get back into the water until a doctor has examined every cubic inch of him and determined beyond reasonable doubt why this happened.

 

[RonFrank]

Honesty is not bravery!

I am glad your OK. You did three dives and one of them, or maybe all of them did you in. The alcohol may have contributed but sounds like you were bent getting off the boat. Regardless you acted very foolishly.

You can dive again. Just follow the rules. Its not difficult.

1. Buy a backup computer.
2. Never do trust me dives.
3. If your equipment fails you are done.
4. Always dive with a buddy.
5. Do not trust Dive ops at blue hole!

MX is very famous for screwing divers up. You should have known that being on SB. The BH may be the most over rated dive on the planet.
You need to follow the rules from now on. :goingdown:

 

[JTemple]

We're not all built the same.